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Four candidates are seeking the position of Newport News Mayor in the May 1 election. One is incumbent McKinley Price, who is joined in the campaign by City Councilman Marcellus Harris and political newcomers Dominique Green and Santiel Creekmore.

McKinley Price is the current Mayor of Newport News, and according to the Daily Press, if re-elected, he intends to continue his platform of reducing crime and improving the economy of the city. Price is running for his third term as mayor. Incumbents tend to get re-elected due to name recognition and the ability to tout past accomplishments to the voting public. Senior Sarah Howell said she believes that, “If something happened that he couldn’t fix then [Price] might not get re-elected.” Senior Deondre Harrison added many voters have a “if it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it” attitude when voting. Essentially, it would take a significant voter turnout for one of the challengers to replace Price. Senior Isabel Acevedo pointed out that she thinks many people would vote for one of his challengers because it feels like “we need younger people [in office].”

Marcellus Harris, another candidate, is unique in that he is a very strong advocate for youth and recreational programs, most likely due to his experience as a guidance counselor at Denbigh High School. His Daily Press profile said he believes that youth programs will help improve public safety, and he would like to implement family friendly activities at City Farm instead of selling it to developers- an option still on the table for Price. Harris is the only new contender with government experience; he is currently a North district councilman. Adrienne Rylander (biology teacher) who has also known Harris since he was four, says she appreciates that Harris really values the community and its people, keeping their concerns at the forefront of his campaign.

True to his name, Dominique Green intends to attract more eco-friendly businesses, which he believes will improve both the economy and the environment. The Daily Press said Green has taken a stance that teachers should get higher salaries, but he does not want to raise taxes to accomplish this. Instead, he believes that once the economy has improved, more revenue funds should be allocated to schools. Green wants to lower crime rates, but believes that alleviating poverty, not policing, is the solution. “I’m really glad that someone is actually taking a strong stance on environmental issues because I think that it’s something everybody talks about but never acts on” said student Kaitlyn Puhlman.

The fourth Mayoral candidate is Santiel Creekmore. The Daily Press profile said his chief goals are to improve our mass transit system and to improve the city’s workforce. He is the only candidate who stated he would implement a real estate tax to improve teacher salaries. Creekmore also differs from Green in that he believes in working with the police to improve public safety, but both believe in the importance of government youth programs in alleviating crime. Justine White, Menchville’s physics teacher, appreciates that Creekmore wants to improve the mass transit program because she thinks it will “open up more job opportunities in other communities.” She also likes that he has a solid plan to increase teacher salaries.

For many Menchville students, this will be the first real election they participate in. Voter registration has been led by students in the booth by Cafeteria 2 for the past week, and seniors have been preparing to exercise their voting rights for the first time in the upcoming municipal elections. Whether students are able to formally participate in the next election or not, it is important for people in the community to be aware of the candidates and the issues that will impact them the most.

*Photos courtesy of the candidate campaign websites and Facebook pages-